Sliding (The Stone Series) (24 page)

I run downstairs, open the front
door and pull her into the house. Without saying a word to her I lead her up
the stairs to my bedroom. “Together Forever” is on and I guide her into my room
and close and lock the door just in case somehow someone comes in.

I start to dance with her because I
know it will relax her and I hope that it might have the same effect on me. I
have wanted to do this for so long now and now that I’m about to I’m more
nervous than I thought I would be. The music changes to “I Don’t Want to Live
Without You” and I feel her body relax in my arms, now if I can just get myself
to calm down we’d be all set. I bring her closer to my bed and she sits down on
the edge. She looks so fucking hot tonight in my favorite tight black sweater
and her jeans with rips in the knees that show her skin, they drive me nuts. I
stand in front of her between her legs and I grab her hair and pull her closer
to me.

I can’t hold back any longer, I
need her now.

I look at her and ask, “Make love
to me now Brooklynn. Be my first, my last, and my only. Let me be yours.”

When she shakes her head yes and “Truly”
by Lionel Richie is playing as I climb on top of her, spreading her legs open
with my knees. I kiss her forehead to ease her nerves, it’s funny now that I’m doing
this I’m calm. And then just like that I can’t believe I’m not a virgin
anymore! I hope she thought I was good, I did my best.

I wake up the next morning, go into
the bathroom and brush my teeth then return to my bed where I am hit with the
most beautiful sight, my girlfriend sleeping in my bed. God, I love her. I
start kissing Brooklynn’s hair that always smells so good.

I tell Wendy brief details about our first time and she says, “Welcome to
the club. Now you’ll have to find the time and place to keep it up. It sucks; I
end up having more sucky sex in the backseat of cars than any one girl should
have to.”

When I get home I go right into the shower and let the warm water soothe
my body. I am still sore and am worried that everyone will be able to tell what
I did last night. I’m just waiting for my mother to sense it somehow.

I wrap myself in my towel and snuggle up under my sheets to call Asia.
Tate and I agreed that we could tell our closest friends and Asia is as close
as they get to me. I tell her every last detail and she doesn’t react the way I
expect or want her to.

“It would figure you and Tate would have the perfect first time. Bobby is
such an asshole and it sucked with him the first time. I am so jealous of you
sometimes, Brook. It’s just not fair. You have this incredible gorgeous,
athletic boyfriend who worships the ground you walk on. You are beautiful and skinny
and the best cheerleader and dancer ever. It is just so hard sometimes not to
hate you.”

I am shocked by her honesty and it makes me speechless for a minute until
I find my voice deep inside myself, “My life is not perfect. It’s hard to be
the girl with the boyfriend everyone else wants. There is not one girl at
school who isn’t waiting for us to break up so they can pounce on him, even my
best friend from the sounds of it. It’s hard to be this in love with someone
and spend every waking minute waiting for him to break your heart and leave you
or cheat on you or whatever. It’s hard to be skinny and have to keep being
skinny. I would love to eat dessert and McDonald’s but I can’t or I’ll get fat
and it’ll ruin my chances for cheering in college. Everyone thinks they want to
be me but honestly Asia no one wants the pressure that comes with it, believe
me. I gotta go; I’ll talk to you at school on Monday.” And I hang up and cry
myself to sleep.

************

It’s been over a week since my doctor’s appointment and I am expecting to
have the results later today. I don’t know what they are going to reveal and
I’m anxious to find out. One of my concerns is that there will be something
wrong with Tate’s sperm count and he is going to fly into a horrible mid-life
crisis that he will never come back from. My other concern is that the problem will
be with me and Tate will see me as old and dried up and get himself with a much
younger upgrade.
 

My workshop is ready to open and Heidi and I will be busy with that for
the next four weeks, at least it will keep my mind off of my fertility. Tate
has recommended me for a job on a video so Heidi and I need to begin work on
that as well; shooting begins in just over a month. I am happy to be busy at
work again; it’s keeping my mind off everything else going on in my life. Heidi
and Dominick are providing all the juicy drama I need to get through each day.
They have been together non-stop during their free time since I introduced
them. I should really try my hand at match making. When we get back to the East
Coast my first order of business is going to be to fix Mac up with someone.
Tate’s cousin, Drea keeps coming to mind even though she’s much younger than he
is. Damian is not going to like the idea so I’ll have to do it without him or
Tate knowing.
 

Tate went into his office this morning and told me to call him as soon as
I hear from the doctor. The call comes in shortly after noon. The results
reveal that Tate’s sperm count is higher than average, of course it is! I am perfectly
healthy as well so the doctor tells me we can begin trying for a baby whenever
we wish. If I don’t conceive on my own after six months we can talk about
possible treatments. I call Tate and ask him if he can come home for us to talk
about the results and he promises to be back within the hour.

He holds true to his promise and arrives at the hotel with flowers in
hand. I tell him the results and he takes me into his arms in his frisky
manner.

“So we can get started trying right now” he says as he grabs for me.

Tate kisses me on the lips very gently but as I feel his hold get firmer
and his erection begin to grow in his pants he deepens the kiss and my body
responds to him. Tate breaks away just as it’s getting good and mysteriously tells
me we’ll have to wait as we have someplace to be shortly.

“The anticipation of what I am going to do to you will build up and by
the time we get back here you’ll be ready to explode. I’ll make it worth your
wait, I promise.”

He leads me out the door and to his silver Ferrari California Convertible
that is waiting for us. I ask him where we are going and he just smiles at me
and says, “You’ll see when we get there.” The death threat seems to no longer
be a concern as we are going without Dominick.

We drive for a long time and finally pull up at a gated estate and Tate
speaks into the intercom and we are allowed admittance. When we enter through
the gates I am in awe of the home that lies in front of me. It is the most
stunning piece of architecture that I have ever seen. We are greeted by a very
attractive young woman who can’t help but stare at my husband whom she is
clearly setting her eyes on for the first time. She catches her breathe and
when she finally composes herself enough to speak tells us that the home is a
Malibu Green Estate contemporary masterpiece on twenty acres with ten thousand
square feet of entertainment and living space. The landscaping is breathtaking
and includes a private beach area and sand dunes on the bluff, with all around
views of the majestic Pacific Ocean. When we enter the home we discover the
ultimate in amenities, that operate at net-zero energy, the home produces as
much energy as it consumes, it has been carefully designed for clean air, water
conservation, health, light, comfort, safety and security all with sustainable
materials. It captures, recycles and reuses water. The home showcases green
high-technology systems and products and it is designed for the ultimate in
lifestyle luxury. It is located on four acres of flat land protected by 16
acres of natural open space.

The young lady who remains in awe of my husband informs us that, “It is a
fusion of the best green building technology and sustainable design.”

Tate is acting completely oblivious as usual to the effect he is having
on this young attractive woman who stands before us, he only seems to have eyes
for me and over the years I have been grateful to keep this spot of prominence
with him.

“Just say the word baby and this is all yours. I have our broker on speed
dial. This can be our home; we can have a family here and be happy. I can see
our kids running around in the expanse of lush green grass and swimming in the
cool crisp pool with their friends. Maybe your brother and sister would come to
visit and stay the summers with us or your parents, my mom. I think we can be
happy here. What do you think?”

A smile spreads across my face and Tate takes me into his arms and lifts
me into the air.

Tate is able to make the sale happen quickly and promises that we’ll be able
to start decorating our new home by the end of the month. I use Damian’s
business partner and best friend, Alex as our interior designer and we start
working together towards getting the house décor planned. Tate and I decide to
sell our home in Connecticut but in the end Tate offers it to my brother,
Michael. I will need to fly back at some point and tie up some lose ends but I
will be too busy with my workshop and new job on the music video for Tate’s
client to go anytime soon so I ask Michael to start taking care of some things
for me. He will be sending the items I’ve asked for, keeping what he wants and
sending the rest to the charity I’ve instructed him to.
  

Tate and I continue with our therapy sessions and for the next few weeks
we explore Tate’s relationship with his father and the effect it has had on
him. Tate’s father was a man who worked hard for his family but insisted on
total control. Tate’s father also expected everyone around him to work just as
hard as him and the pressure that he put on his only child was at times
unbearable for Tate. His father also expected his wife to be the picture of
perfection and Tate was often times finding himself defending his mother for
not fulfilling that role of perfection.

Tate’s parents met after college, Samantha being Joe’s first secretary at
the law firm. Joe was the youngest at his law firm to make partner at the age
of thirty. Shortly after marrying, Tate came along and Samantha became a full
time mother. Due to fertility issues they were unable to have a second child,
they talked about adopting but then decided Tate was all they needed. Tate’s
father put pressure on him all through school to get good grades and be a top
athlete. When the pressure got to Tate he started smoking pot, drinking, and partying.
By the time Tate was sixteen, Tate and his father used to come to physical
blows over their disagreements. It continued until one time at the end of senior
year when Tate lost it on his dad and almost hurt his father. Samantha tried to
break them up; she was crying when I arrived and had been ready to call the
police. I pulled up to get Tate for a party just in time and luckily I was able
to calm him down enough that he let his father go. After that his father never
picked another fight with him but their relationship was destroyed.
  

During college when Tate’s Nana died she left her estate to Tate instead
of his father and that caused their relationship to reach an all time low.
Tate’s father did not want him to pursue his interests in the music industry,
he wanted him to go to law school and become a lawyer like him. But with the
amount of money that his Nana left him Tate knew he would graduate and open his
own music company. At the time neither Tate nor his father could know what a
huge success Tate would be and his father never supported him in his career
decision. Tate’s father died a few years ago, they never repaired their
relationship.

Tate tells Bernie and Drew that he often feels like he’s going to let the
important people in his life down the same way he disappointed his father. He
says that he felt as if he let me down when I had the miscarriage. Tate worries
over every decision he makes, weighing them over in his mind and wondering what
his father would think. He feels the need to be wealthy and powerful to feel
accomplished and successful. Before our session ends Tate tells Bernie and Drew
that he’s afraid to become a father and be like his dad. He knows he needs
control like his father did and he doesn’t want to do to our children what his
father did to him. We leave holding hands with me understanding Tate’s feelings
about having children for the first time.

We arrive back at the hotel to find Dominick and Heidi on their way out.
We ask them where they’re going and agree when they ask us to join them for a
casual night of pizza and beer down the road. The four of us walk, Dominick and
Heidi hand in hand, Tate with his arm casually slung around my shoulder down
the palm tree lined street. It is just starting to get dark outside and the
colors in the California sky are spectacular to witness. Tate uses this time to
rub his thumb on the exposed skin of my shoulder so that I glance at him. When
I do he mouths, “Remember what’s waiting for you later.”

We arrive at the restaurant and ask for a booth. It’s not very crowded tonight
and we are seated right away. We order pitchers of beer and pizzas and our
conversation comes easily. Tate runs his hand up my leg and gives my knee a
squeeze. I decide to get back at him for all the torture and anticipation he’s been
causing me all day and I run my hand up his thigh and gently over the bulge in
his pants. He instantly hardens under my touch and shifts in his seat. Tate and
I describe the house to Heidi and I ask her if she’ll stay in California with
me. She looks shyly at Dominick who she now calls “Nick” with affection and
agrees. I tell her we’ll have more than enough space at the new house for her
to stay with us and she accepts knowing that “Nick” always stays at the residence
where Tate resides.